Moving valve single reed



Feb. 18, 1941. ca. JACOMENI MOVING VALVE SINGLE REED Filed Nov. 14, 1938 INVENTOR N ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments or other sound devices of the so called free reed type and more particularly to accordions where air flows in opposite directions to the sounding reeds depending upon whether the bellows of the accordion is being expanded or contracted.

In sound devices of the free reed type, it is customary to provide a plate or other member having an opening extending therethrough and forming an air passage and the vibratory reed which is usually riveted or firmly fixed at one end is formed so that the opposite end may vibrate in this opening. Also, it is important, when at rest that the free portion of the reed or tongue be positioned slightly in front or above the opening so that there will be a gap or space through which air may pass around the reed into the opening.

In accordions as at present constructed, it is customary to provide for each note two adjacent passages each with its corresponding reed, one properly positioned with respect to its passage for air passing in one direction, and the other so positioned with respect to the passage for air passing in the opposite direction and in order that one passage only, with its corresponding reed, shall receive the air, when it is moving in one direction, there are suitable flaps or valves for cutting off the air from the passage not being utilized. 7

This construction has a number of disadvantages; among them are excessive weight of the accordion, complexity of construction and the necessity after construction of tuning each pair of reeds-for each note, so that they will vibrate with the same frequency, and it is the purpose of this invention to obviate such duplication and eliminate this disadvantage by providing an improved reed construction wherein a single reed is employed for sounding each note, which reed is operative whether the air is moving in one direction or the other.

In accordance with my invention, I provide an improved device employing a single reed, a part of which device is movable in whole or in partwhen air is moved in one direction, and over the opposite end of the passage when air is moved in the opposite direction.

Further objects of my invention include simplicity of construction, cheapness of manufacture, economy of space and weight, durability and efilciency in use.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing 10 which shows one embodiment of my invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the reed device mounted on a supporting block;

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the interior of the reed supporting casing with the top of the casing removed to show the manner in which one end of the reed is riveted in position;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the casing taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing the bracket for supporting and guiding the movable valve and the valve or plate in elevation;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the valve; and

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the cover of the structure shown in Figure 1. 20

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, reference character l0 indicates a block having an air passage II which is adapted to direct air from or to the reed device.

Mounted on the block 10 in any appropriate manner is a casing or housing [3 provided with a lower opening l4 communicating with the passage and an upper opening I5. These openings as shown in Figures 2 and 5 extend a substantial part of the entire length of the casing.

In the form of invention illustrated, the casing 13 comprises a base portion 2| and a body portion 22, the lower edges of which are adapted to be received in a recess 25 in the base portion and to be held in place in that position by means of a screw 26 which extends through the wall of the body portion and into a block I! located at one end of and riveted to the base of the casing [3. The block I! is located in a lateral extension of the casing which forms a tubular air passage.

Secured to the block as by rivets I6 is the reed or tongue I8, the free portion of which 20 is adapted to be set in Vibration by flow of air through the device.

Mounted to move substantially the width of the casing is a member plate or valve 30 which has an opening or slot 3 I, having a contour slightly greater than that of the reed 20, so that the block in being, shifted from bottom to top of 55 the casing will not contact the tongue of the reed and also, so that the tongue in vibrating may move in and out of the slot 3 I.

In Figure 1 the valve 30 is shown in its lowermost position and is seated against a gasket 32 surrounding the openings M in the casing, the gasket being secured to the flanges forming the bottom of the casing around the valve or member 30, thus, while in this position, the valve 30 serves to prevent leakage of air around the reed 20 and in this position, the reed 20 will vibrate under the influence of air passing down through the casing or housing into the passage H and the force of this same flow of air will serve to maintain the Valve 30 in close contact with the gasket 32.

In Figure 3 the valve 30 is shown in a position slightly elevated above the bottom of the casing which is a position assumed when the air has just begun to flow upward from the passage ll into the casing.

It will be seen from Figure 2 that there is a slight gap or clearance between the outer edge of the tongue 20 and the inner wall of the opening 3| in the member 30 and also, it will be seen from Figure 1 that in the position of the block there shown the righthand or free end of the tongue is spaced slightly over the upper edge of the opening.

When the direction of air current is reversed through the device, the valve is moved upward into contact with a gasket 35 secured to the upper flanges and surrounding the upper opening E5 in the casing and is held against this gasket by the air current. The tongue 20 will then be spaced just below the lower end or side of the opening 3! and in this position the reed will operate under the influence of a current of air flowing upward through the passage I I.

To guide or support, and at the same time offer as little friction as possible, to the movement of the valve 30, it is provided at one end with small projections 38 and 38 adapted to engage lightly the end and side walls, respectively, of the casing l3 and is also provided with two projections 33 which are adapted to extend into a central slot 48 in a downwardly projecting arm 42 of a L shaped bracket 43 secured by a hollow rivet M to the top of the body portion.

As shown in the drawing, it will be noted that the screw 25 extends through the opening in the eye rivet 46!.

It will be seen from the drawing that due to the shape of the casing that the valve 30 in each position of rest is slightly inclined to the reed 2! so that the free position only when at rest is outside the opening 3|.

The movable plate 30 is preferably formed of very light material such as aluminum and the tongue 23 of resilient material such as spring steel.

This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 199,136, filed March 31, 1938.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination of a casing and two members, one consisting of a reed supported with one end free to vibrate and the other consisting of a member in said casing and formed with an air passage therethrough conforming approximately to the contour of the reed, one of said members being movable relative to the other in said casing under the force of air pressure to position said reed slightly in front of the entrance to said passage on the flow of air through said passage respectively in one direction and the other.

2. The combination of a casing, a reed fixed to said casing and having one end free to vibrate,

a member in said casing formed with an air passage therethrough conforming approximately to the contour of the reed, said member being movable in said casing under the force of air pressure to position said reed slightly in front of the entrance to said passage on the flow of air respectively in one direction and the other.

3. A single valve reed device comprising a housing through which air is adapted to flow, a reed fixedly mounted at one end of said housing and extending centrally thereof, a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and mounted to move freely within said housing, said casing being provided with means forming stops limiting the movement of said plate so as to position said plate relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes.

4. A single valve reed device comprising a housing through which air is adapted to flow, a reed fixedly mounted at one end of said housing and extending centrally thereof, a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing, said casing being provided with means forming stops limiting the movement of said plate so as to position said plate relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes.

5. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes.

6. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes, gasket strips for the contacting edge portions of said plate and flanges to prevent leakage of air between these parts.

7. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes, said housing being stationary, mounted within a musical instrument in such a manner that the air passing either into or out of said instrument will be directed against said plate and said reed.

8. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes, one end of said housing being adapted to be closed by a plate securely attached thereto and forming the flanges on this said front end.

9. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes, said tubular housing being formed at its bottom portion with a lateral extension, a block within said extension, and means for securely attaching the bottom portion of said reed and said block to the wall of said extension in such a manner that the reed will extend centrally thereof.

-10. A single valve reed, comprising a tubular housing having inturned flanges at both ends, a reed fixedly mounted at one end on said housing and extending centrally thereof, and a plate with a slot having its walls surrounding the edges of said reed and movably mounted within said housing to engage the flanges at one end or at the other end of said housing to be limited relative to said reed for playing the reed back or forth depending upon which way the air for playing the reed passes, said tubular housing being formed with a lateral extension, a block within said extension, and means for securely attaching the bottom portion of said reed and said block to the wall of said extension in such a manner that the reed will extend centrally thereof, said means comprising a rivet extending through the bottom portion of said reed, said block and the rear wall of said extension.

11. In a reed device, a block member, a plate A GABRIEL J ACOMINI. 

